Saturday, September 30, 2006

Reserve Square Shakes It Up

You may have noticed that most of our items this past week come from outposts like Cincinnati and Toledo. It's been a quiet week for Cleveland area media...until now.

Major changes are sweeping the halls at local CBS affiliate WOIO/19, according to Cleveland Plain Dealer TV/radio writer Julie Washington in the PD's Entertainment blog.

Oh, sure, there are anchors moving around again.

New weekender Paul Joncich barely makes it into his first month at "19 Action News" before being moved to the high-profile 5 PM and 10 PM weekday assignments with WOIO's Sharon Reed alongside him.

Anchor Jeff Eliasoph, who got glowing praise just a few weeks ago from management for his work on the station's weekday evening newscasts, gets moved into a co-anchor slot on "19 Action News This Morning" alongside Allison Alexander.

If that sounds like a demotion to you, consider that stations are considering their early morning newscasts as very important outposts these days. It's certainly the only time slot where TV stations are generally gaining local news viewers overall.

Ah, but we bury the lead, if only for effect.

Yes, it'll be WTAM afternoon mushmouth Mike Trivisonno showing up with a regular segment on the "19 Action News" 5 PM cast with the aforementioned Ms. Reed, via a camera link from the WTAM studios at Clear Channel's Oak Tree World Domination Headquarters in Independence.

Triv will be going back and forth with Reed about "whatever's on his mind," says WOIO news director Dan Salamone to the PD. (We can see you already typing those comments. No, we don't know if the menu at Mallorca's will be the topic most days, at least on those days when Triv isn't sounding the call for casino gambling in Cleveland, or talking sports.)

Salamone definitely wins our "truth in advertising" award for this quote to Ms. Washington, though:

“He’s somebody who was born to be in a 19 Action News format.”

We'll let Mr. Salamone's comment stand by itself.

Triv and Sharon TV will start whenever Clear Channel ensures that Triv's drool over Ms. Reed doesn't short out the equipment...or perhaps October 9th, when the WTAM afternoon driver returns from his latest Las Vegas vacation.

The other WOIO change, also listed on the PD's Entertainment blog, is almost an afterthought. Julie Washington reports that the Raycom CBS affiliate is starting up "Weather Now", the Cleveland market's second all-weather digital/cable channel after WKYC's "NBC Weather Plus".

The channel is set to launch Monday, and will reportedly be on "all the major" local cable providers...so Ms. Washington reports.

She doesn't mention that "Weather Now" will (likely) be seen on WOIO's over-air digital TV channel, likely as the new 19.2 subchannel. Local digital TV viewers have seen WOIO lighting up that secondary digital channel on and off over the past month or so.

Over on sister Raycom MyNetworkTV outlet WUAB/43, 43.2 is already taken up with the music video channel "The Tube"...

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could the "19 Action News Weather Now" forecast be coming up soon on WTAM?

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see Mike Trivisonno and Big Daddy Marty Allen hogging Mr. Chicken on the air!

Anonymous said...

bad enough he is on the radio, now he will show his face on television.

Anonymous said...

He's been talking for some time now about how much he loves and watches 19 Action News. What's the over/under on the number of days before this fails, at which point Triv will rip on 19? I was disappointed, but not surprised, the other day when he took a shot at Kim Mihalik.

Cliff said...

You have to wonder if the suits at CBS look at this situation at WOIO and say "They are our affiliate, WHY?" Is there any question as to why 43 didn't get the CW? Shock value will get viewers, however when they want real news, most will go elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Interesting relationship here...considering WOIO's break-up with the Browns and Clear Channel's partnership with the Browns. I imagine sports will be talked about at some point.

Anonymous said...

I just hope there are plenty of napkins avaliable, and that a ''burp'' button is close at hand..wonder how big the ''WTAM'' banner will be in the studio..

Is Mancow still doing his bit with Fox News? This isn't new...one of the St. Louis TV news channels has a roatating roster of jocks that comment on whatever..its the synergy baby..

Anonymous said...

One word... STUPID! With his 80's mullet haircut, elvis sunglasses, and stomach the size of Cleveland... what in the world makes channel 19 think anyone wants to see him on TV? Especially on HD. PLus you're combining one nitwit with another? What a train wreck... Channel 19 should not even use NEWS anywhere in their broadcast. It is not news, it is tabloid crap.

Anonymous said...

You have to f@$kin be kidding me. Cleveland's poor rip off of a talk show host that just happens to resemble a pig will be on on TV! That thought is just making me sick. The sight of him makes me want to vomit and his program is pure BS. WOW it just go to show you what happens when you are on to many mind dullisionary drugs and when all common sense leaves your head.
If only CBS could find another full powered station we could be done of this once and for all.

Anonymous said...

More importantly then the Triv/WOIO deal...How come WWMK 1260 has been off the air for at least a week?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Triv on TV thing is a reaction to the "free speech" segment on CBS Evening... if managment thinks its a trend and wants to be first in the market.

Paul Joncich's old station, KOVR, 13, Stockton-Sacramento did a "point-counterpoint" style segment in the 80's with Rush Limbaugh and somebody else.

Speaking of Joncich... not exactly surprised he's now anchoring weeknights again. That's what he did (sometimes breathlessly) before new CBS management blew out the anchor staff at KOVR between the time it closed on the station in June and the end of 2005.

The general news format on KOVR has long tended to be of the "if it bleeds, it leads" variety. It was "Action News 13" as an ABC affiliate when I began shooting film for TV back in the mid 70's and hasn't strayed all that much from that general philosophy.

I had hopes about a shift toward something a bit more eriudite when the station introduced a striking new set, weather graphics tools, anchors (including Jonchic's replacement ex KCRA Sacramento, CNBC anchor Sam Shane.

It's different, but not so much different. Watching some newscasts, I wonder whether Shane thinks he's a fish sometimes out of water for a bit. The emphasis can sometimes be "lead with breaking news... even trivial breaking news, just because it's breaking."

"Call Kurtis" has been one of the redeeming segments, even though sometimes the promotion goes a tad toward the "Six dwarfs mauled by lions at the circus" style. It's picked up the "help the consumer" focus that market leader KCRA used to have with its "Call 3" consumer reporting. KCRA now focuses on goverment waste and getting streetlights working.

Moving to Mornings:

As OMW pointed out... TV stations with news departments are looking at mornings much in the same way radio does... makea da money in da Mornin.

In the Sacramento market, News 10 (KXTV) moved Dan Elliot from anchoring one of the early weeknight casts to mornings. Some thought it was a demotion... others accepted what I seem to recall was the station's explanation that it valued the time slot and wanted to put good talent there.

Ted in Marysville (CA) north of Sacramento... where OMW used to work at the Sacramento CC blowtorch.

Anonymous said...

Hee....I like Triv.

Anonymous said...

Have they fired Chuck Collier from WGAR yet because he beat out Triv in the ratings in afternoon drive?

Anonymous said...

LOVE that last comment. Of course, Triv will be whining about how Arbitron doesn't even "count" all his listeners...can someone explain the system to this so-called "pro." (ack! I just gagged with laughter.)

Slob-i-sonno is, in the true, true words of Roger B., a MAJOR MEDIA EMBARRASSMENT. In other words, he'll fit in just fine with the embarrassment called "19/43." Only thing is, I can just hear their tiny few viewers reaching for their remotes, as the smoke-filled lungs begin spewing forth daily nonsense.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the lasr post and have wonder how many fingers the grab the remote sine in total I would bet it is less than 10 overall viewers.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like an act of desperation on both sides WTAM & 19. Why else would you do something so silly. Just trying to drum up some quick ratings... is it sweeps week? Once it fizzles, they'll drop his a$$. Just hope he's not too close to the lake... don't want to create another tsunami.

Anonymous said...

Not being a native I can say this: Triv and the native Cleveland mentality are a perfect match. [See also: Kucinich, Dennis.]

Anonymous said...

About the comment about firing Chuck Collier its true. The two other afternoon hosts that beat Trivisonno were Scott Howitt and Danny Wright and they are both gone. I don't understand what the big deal about Trivisonno is? Why does Clear Channel have this need to fire anyone who competes with him. Check back after another ratings book if Chuck beats him in the ratings he will be either a)fired or b) moved to a different shift so Triv will reign supreme in the afternoon ratings like he claims ROFL.